battleforearthfandomcom-20200213-history
Seventh Galactic War
The Seventh Galactic War ''', also known by some as the '''Centrian War '''or the '''War for the Forge was a pan galactic conflict waged between several powers across the galaxy. Devastating hundreds of planets, the war waged for years, resulting in the deaths of millions of soldiers and civilians. The first war spanning the galaxy in millions of years, since the times of the Sixth Galactic War, the war would would escalate to include several powerful nations. Although the war was fought initially between the Cyclarchy of Centri and several smaller nations, the war would eventually turn into a galactic conflict with the introduction of the Grand Coalition, a military alliance dedicated to ending the Cyclarchy of Centria's perceived aggressive conquests across the galaxy. The Centrians continued their conquests of the Carsaltarni Empire, before turning on their allies, opening fire on Praetorian ships in the area. Though this later turned out to be a pre-arranged ruse, the Meredians fell for it and sided with the Praetorians, forming an alliance to stop the Centrian 'ravages' throughout the galaxy. However, as the Praetorians switched sides to the Centrians, and the Firstborn entered the war on the Carsaltarni side, it quickly became clear that this would be the next Galactic war. Belligerents Centri The most powerful of the three Tier-3 nations that started the war, the Centrians were also the oldest and the most numerous, holding advantages over the others. Meridian Consul The Meridian Consul, also known simply as Meridian, is an interstellar, extraterrestrial nation from the planet Monsmanu, located in the Milky Way Galaxy. At the beginning of the war the Meridians were a successful trading nation and regional power, processing a large starfleet and adequate technology. Naming The Seventh Galactic War was initially called the Promethean-Praetorian War. After the Centrian actions against the Praetorians and Prometheans became public, many in the future nations of the Grand Coalition began to refer to the war as the Centrian War, as many perceived the conflict as a jingoistic conquest by the Centrians against the other nations, to varying degrees of actuality. With the introduction of the Grand Coalition, many began to see the war as a massive, galaxy-wide war. When the Firstborn entered the war to save the Carsaltarni, a news reporter mentioned that "this could be the start of the Seventh War, similar in scope and horror of the previous six." Chronology Background Overview Battle of Luna By the winter of 1965 the Carsaltarni Empire had reached the Solar System with a small fleet of heavily armed ships. The Carsaltarni, prepared to destroy the Human planet of Terra, positioned itself near the planet ready to use force to destroy the race. The entrance of the Carsaltarni fleet into the solar system was detected by the nearby Centrian base on Titan, the largest moon of the planet Saturn, fortified by the presence of the 3rd Assault Fleet, 7th Assault Fleet, and 23rd Assault Fleet, the 8th Battle Hive, 9th Battle Hive, and 92nd Battle Hive, and the 4th Grand Fleet, and the First Sigma, an elite unit of the Centrian military noted as being comprised of the most elite ships and soldiers in the nation. Early communications were rejected by the Carsaltarni, who continued on their course toward Terra. Sensing that the planet may be in danger, the Centrians threatened the use of force to stop the Carsaltarni if they did not state their intentions. As the main Carsaltarni fleet neared Earth, fighters from the Praetorian base on Luna were ordered to engage the invaders, hoping to stop them before reaching their target. After a series of short waves against the Carsaltarni, their fleet was ordered to halt and prepare for bombardment from Luna. Several Carsaltarni ships eventually opened fire, beginning a long engagement over the barren satellite below. With smaller ships and destroyers caught up in the fighting, several large Carsaltarni battleships and carriers were able to be targeted by Lunar defenses and support ships, leading to the immediate crippling of much of the nearby fleet. As the Carsaltarni ships reacted to effectively combat the attack, several groups of Praetorian fighters were pushed back, allowing an opening in the Praetorian defenses. Beginning to take the upper hand, a landing was eventually ordered on the Lunar surface. The Carsaltarni ground forces, who were preparing to scout out the destroyed Terra primarily, and lacked ground support vehicles and other amenities were slightly outgunned. The Promethean troops were eventually pinned down in their landing sites, making missile strikes difficult. After a stalemate on the ground resulting in little gains, and a potentially crippling battle above, the Prometheans ordered a general retreat from the Solar System. The Praetorian fleet in the region immediately docked for repairs, hoping to replenish their fleet after the devastating charge resulting in a Pyrrhic victory. The Lunar surface also suffered heavy damages, resulting in the temporary disabling of an able-bodied Fdefe on the ground. Centrian Invasion The Centrians entered the war after several attacks by the Carsaltarni. The Centri entered the war against the Carsaltarni, who rapidly began to lose ground. Centri and Praetorian forces pushed the Carsaltarni out of the Sol system within two months, and after that, began their offensive into Carsaltarni space. The Carsaltarni put up stern resistance, but the two allies steadily advanced. Overtime, the war accelerated in the favor of the Centri and the Praetorians. Their fleets pushed deeper into Carsaltarni space, rapidly depleting the Carsaltarni manpower, production, and infrastructure. Within the next year, the Carsaltarni threw everything they had into the defense of their home regions. But they were in for a surprise that they did not see coming, and would ultimately delay their overall defeat. The Centri, in order to become a regional power in the galaxy, had to defeat its main military and trading rival, the Meridian Consul. To do so, the Centri arranged a black flag operation with the Praetorians in order to lure the Meridians into the war. Over the next four months, the Centrians and Praetorians pretended to be at war with each other, costing each other hundreds of lives, but the operation worked. Grand Coalition Following the Centrian's 'betrayal' of the Praetorians during the invasion of Carsaltarni space, many of the Centrian's loose allies and trade partners became weary of the nation, fearing that they too may be betrayed. After being attacked the Praetorians immediately formally declared war against the Cyclarchy of Centria, beginning an uneasy relationship with the Carsaltarni. The Xlax Imperium would also soon renounce all treaties with the Centrians and join the Praetorians and Carsaltarni. As the war raged on many nations began to feel fearful that the Cyclarchy of Centria was slowly becoming too powerful, and that its actions had escalated to "aggressive, jingoistic conquests". Particularly the Meridian Consul, a powerful region trading power that had previously done independent business with the Praetorians, began rallying for an international action against the Centrians. The Meridians and especially their close partners, the Rasheen Kingdom, were noted as having several wealthy trade routes across the galaxy, which began to become under threat by nearby conflicts, cutting off trade to far off Praetorian worlds and small nations. The Rasheen Kingdom had established a base around the fifth planet of the Solar System, known as Jupiter, which served as an important trade node between nearby systems. Now surrounded by war the base's profitability and stability were threatened. The Rasheen's "Sol System Task Force", comprised from the 6th Rapid Response Task Force and a scout team led by the RKF Khöja, remained nearby to monitor the situation. The Meridians also mobilized the 9th carrier battle group, led by the MCS Atlos Carrier, and the Fifth Galactic Reconnaissance Task Group, who had arrived in the region months early to establish contact with the Rasheen, to the edge of the Solar System to protect their trade interests if necessary. Sanctions from the Meridians demanding that the Centrians cease their attacks were ignored, leading to the Meridians calling all allies and trade partners to discuss the creation of a coalition. The result was the organization known as the Grand Coalition, a group of nations vowing to stop the Centrian's invasion. The Meridian Consul immediately positioned the Grand Imperial Armada of Monsmanu under the command of Lohvis Mongranimperialis Sen Scipius to the MCS Atlos' position. However, soon after, the Praetorians switched sides to the Centrians, revealing that they had in fact pre-arranged the whole war. This threw the war into an entirely new complexion; the Centrians, with the Praetorians, Solarians and Gemini, now had the balance of power in their hands, with the Meredians heavily outnumbered and outgunned. Battle of Saturn After the Praetorian defection, the Coalition lost one of their two most powerful nations, leaving the power entirely in Centrian hands. In order to buy some more time to build up defenses, Coalition forces lead by the Meridian fleet were ordered to engage the Centrians at their stronghold around the planet Saturn, housing an elaborate system of installations, including a port on the moon Titan. A small Carsaltarni assault was led against Titan, damaging the base slightly, beginning a number of small skirmishes with the Centrian defenders. Shortly after the Carsaltarni raid, the coalition force, now numbering over 300,000 ships, was ordered to engage the saturnal fortress, beginning the Battle of Saturn. The Meridian immediately opened fire on the Centrian installations around Saturn, arriving toward the end of the battle, helping to completely rout the Centrians, though at massive losses, and chase them down from the Solar System. In the fighting the majority of the Centrian installations would be destroyed, or heavily damaged, with the exception of Titan, which managed to retain a small port. The captured facilities were converted into a base to be used this as a staging ground for further attacks. Battle of Terra Main Article: Battle of Terra By the time of the Centrian black flag operation with the Praetorians, the Carsaltarni Empire had suffered many casualties and had lost most of its infrastructure and resources. The Centri, although suffering the damage of the Meridians and the Grand Coalition, still intended to finish the Carsaltarni off, and was preparing a fleet to do so. This changed when the Firstborn entered the war on the side of the Carsaltarni in order to confound Grand Alliance attempts to secure the Humans as an ally. The Firstborn rapidly pushed Centrian forces aside easily and provided ships, weaponry, and supplies to the Carsaltarni. The Firstborn entry into the war surprised the Centri, who were unable to effectively counter the Firstborn attack for several weeks. Ultimately, the black flag operation with the Praetorians was called off early to combat both the Coalition and the Firstborn. The operation was to continue until the Meridians were at their most vulnerable. With the Praetorians back on their side, the Centri were now able to hold their own against the Firstborn for a short time while also drive the Coalition back with the aid of the Gemini Federation and the Solaris Empire. The Carsaltarni were not finished, however. With the security of Vermari in doubt, the Carsaltarni embarked to ruin the plans of their enemies in one last act of defiance. Accompanied by a Firstborn fleet of considerable size, the flotilla, led by the capital ship Arms of Fire, reached the Sol system by early 1968. Rasheen, Dravimosian, and Meridian ships in Terran orbit, although outnumbered and outmatched by the Firstborn-Carsaltarni fleet, immediately began countermeasures. In the meanwhile, the Azaranian Fleets were regrouping at the "Galleon-4" (Martian) base to escort the emperor after meetings. Ground troops were dropped onto Terra to prepare the humans for the invasion, while the ships set up a rudimentary blockade around the planet while also calling for more re-inforcements. It was also during this time that the Humans launched a joint space mission to Terra's satellite Luna. The space mission was able to land successfully and recover samples of moon rock and alien wreckage from the Battle of Luna. The Humans barely managed to escape back to Terra before the armada entered orbit. When the Firstborn-Carsaltarni fleet entered Terran orbit, the Carsaltarni led the ground assault while the Firstborn engaged the enemy in space. Carsaltarni ships soon appeared in the skylines of major cities around the world. With advanced technology and the element of surprise, the Carsaltarni rapidly made headway. Most cities fell within days while others became brutal examples of urban warfare. Human forces fought back with alien advisers and weapons, and by mid-1968 alien re-inforcements arrived. The Rasheen arrived first, deploying forces in the southern hemisphere while the Dravimosians targeted the northern hemisphere. The humans won a victory soon after in the city of Aden, downing a Carsaltarni frigate and retaking the city. Later in the year, the Azaranians wanted to ensure victory and the element of surprise. The Emperor recorded an official declaration of war on the Carsaltarni Empire for their invasion of Terra. With the Imperial Fleets in Martian orbit, all ships were ordered to put the orbital troops in drop pods, warm up their jump drives (Secondary FTL), and prepare drop ships for boarding. After preparations were complete, all Azaranian forces jumped into orbit of Terra, and started engaging Carsaltarni forces, while drop pods were launched into positions designed specifically to oust Carsaltarni. Drop in from behind, attack from the rear. The Carsaltarni Emperor received the declaration of war right as the first pods hit the ground. By late 1968, Azaranian, Meridian, Centri, Regenetech, and Praetorian re-inforcements had arrived. The Coalition and the Centri had agreed to a temporary ceasefire to deal with the invasion of Terra. Within days, the fleets of the Firstborn and Carsaltarnihad been forced out of the system while Carsaltarni ground forces had been forced into either surrender or a fight to the death. Regentech forces defeated a small garrison at Vermari and set the planet ablaze. Surrender of Vermari The defeat at Terra sent the Carsaltarni running. The Firstborn bailed in order to re-inforce a sector under attack by Battlegroup Xeraji of the Dravimosian Empire, leaving the Carsaltarni on their own. The Carsaltarni, overconfident in their own victory, sent their entire fleets to the Sol system in a giant attack. This left their homeworld with only a token garrison. The Grand Alliance took notice, and the Azaranians sent the Arkadian Fleets, Led by Lord Admiral Torrehn Van'Zelios to Vermari. The first order of business was to cut off connections to Vermari, and the rest of the empire. Before launching a full invasion, The Azaranians deployed several comm jammers and then launched a full invasion, and issued an ultimatum to the government, surrender within a Vermari day, or Vermari will face orbital bombardment, The Demand were met by militancy by both the Carsaltarni Emperor, who threatened to destroy Terra, and by the local governement and, as the Azaranians, and other GA forces that later joined, evacuated civilians to their ships and far away worlds using the Starsnateher Orion as a Transgalactic Relay, the GA called their bluff, and Vermari became a pile of rubble. It took the destruction of their entire military force on the Planet, and six hours of "light" bombardment, for the local administration take the Azaranians up on their offer, and surrender unconditionaly to Lord Admiral Torrehn Van'Zelios and other GA forces under his command. Promethean Endgame In the Meanwhile, the Promethean Emperor decided to accompany his fleet to Earth. Suddenly, Prometheus went Dark. The Emperor succeeded in re-grouping his fleet, but he was too overconfident, and sent them on a suicide mission to earth. Fleets were intercepted over the Red planet. However, and the Azaranian Planetary Defence guns tore the front lines to pieces. After a long battle over Mars that left two Azaranian Dreadnoughts and many more GA forces in rubble, the Promethean Fleets felt a much worse fate, they were left more than halved by the time they decide to retreat into FTL. They fled to the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, as the humans call it, and began to make plans to lead the fleet into exodus. The Azaranians sent most of their fleets to re-inforce their positions, and to help secure the Promethean refugees. Unbeknownst to the Prometheans, the Dravimosians had a vested interest in annexing them into the Empire. Battlegroup Dravimos, the largest battlegroup of the Empire, was contacted by Battlegroup Dresh with the coordinates of the Promethean fleet. Battlegroup Dravimos set off from the Empire, the first time in many decades, and engaged the Promethean fleet. The Prometheans fought hard, but the Dravimosians had the upper hand. After many hours of brutal fighting, the Prometheans were forced into submission. Emperor Koram II of the Promethean Empire was personally defeated and disarmed by Emperor Serantaos II of the Dravimosian Empire, a battle many believe will be remembered for centuries to come. The Prometheans captured were taken back to their fiery homeworld to rebuild their civilization under Grand Alliance supervision. Unbeknownst to them, a small group of Promethean ships were able to break off and flee, continuing the exodus. The fleet founded a colony on a world on the other side of the galaxy, which they named New Prometheus. War Springs Anew Following the defeat of the Promethean Empire, war was still in the air. The Firstborn continued to fight for several months, but with the Prometheans effectively defeated and the Firstborn fleets suffering the damage of the three-front war it jumped into the Firstborn cut their losses and withdrew from the war in 1970. With the Firstborn out of the war, the Grand Alliance pulled out as well, citing that it had no further reason to remain involved now that the humans were saved and the Firstborn were stopped in their tracks. With the terms of the ceasefire between the Coalition and the Compact fulfilled, the war between the two resumed in earnest. The Centri launched multiple attacks on Ariax and Meridian space targeting infrastructure and communications. The Forge Incident Despite the eagerness of the two sides to resume the war, the infrastructure and population of the two sides were exhausted. Skirmishes and planetary sieges became increasingly rare, and the two sides seemed close to peace. This changed in 1972, when an explosion destroyed a recovery ship taking part in the Mech restoration project for The Forge. The Forge itself also suffered some minor damage. A similar explosion in the Pacific Ocean created a small tidal wave, but no major damages occurred. Both the Mechs and the rest of the galaxy found the explosion to be of great shock. It was clear that the explosion was not accidental and it appeared to have been caused by an Azaranian missile. Dravimosian ships aided in the recovery operations in order to prevent any further damages to Earth and its inhabitants. Suspicion immediately fell upon the Azaranians for the attack. The Grand Alliance sprang into action and established a commission along with the Centrians to determine what was the cause of the explosion. The Mechs and Azaranians were excluded from the proceedings. The Seventh Expands After several months of no conclusive result, a few Centrian and Mech ships opened fire on Azaranian ships in Earth orbit, temporarily forcing them away. The Grand Alliance responded in kind, driving the Mechs and Centrians out of the system and supplying weapons and supplies to the Grand Coalition, the Grand Compact's enemy. Mech forces had been preparing for war ever since The Forge was discovered on Earth, but the Network was nowhere as mobilized as the Grand Alliance was at the start. This would change quickly as the Network began rapid production of battlemech chassis and sent several installations towards the separate Grand Alliance nations. It was during this time that the Grand Coalition and Grand Compact began to join in the fray as well. Energized by the new arrivals into the war, the two sides began targeting each other and declaring war on their adversary's benefactors. The Pact of Stars led by the Firstborn stayed out due to the defeat that they suffered in the Promethean phase of the war. A crucial part of the war involved the cyber front. The Mechs had the largest synthetic army in the galaxy, followed by the Regenetech and the Dravimosians. These two powers needed to hardcode their synthetics and artificial intelligences to prevent Mech hacking. After only a few months of research Alliance scientists decided to abandon any hopes of an offensive cyber warfare program due to highly advanced Mech firewalls. Much of the first two months of the war consisted of nothing more than minor skirmishes. Mech forces had yet to arrive in Alliance or Coalition space in significant numbers and the Alliance had yet to launch a major offensive. The two sides mostly dedicated themselves to gathering intelligence, manufacturing military hardware and producing countermeasures for each other's tactics. This changed by 1974, when a joint Azaranian-Meredian offensive penetrated the defense perimeter of Centrian space. The Mechs sent several installation fleets in a counter-attack and the Dravimosians, Regens, and other Coalition members raced to meet them. In the First Battle of the Core, the Mechs obtained a costly victory. The Dravimosians were able to destroy many Mech ships due to antimatter weapons. Such weapons could be replaced relatively quickly due to the Dravimosian synthesization facilities while the ships were costly and time-consumming to replace. With this initial victory, Mech forces were able to penetrate the inital Alliance-Coalition line of defense. Meanwhile, Centrian defenses drew off Alliance ships with Gemini and Praetorian help, allowing the Mechs to push deeper in. The Alliance ships still advanced but payed a high price for each planet they took, each system they controlled, losing many ships in every single battle. With little gain from the invasion of Centrian space, Azaranian-Meredian forces withdrew from Centrian space and tried to encircle Mech forces from the rear. While initially successful, Mech-Centrian re-inforcements arrived, causing massive casualties for both sides in the Battle of Kolris, which ultimately ended in a stalemate. Such warfare would continue for several months with neither side gaining a decisive advantage. Promethean Resurgence By 1972, the Promethean Empire had amassed a substantial supply of ships and weapons. With the major powers of the galaxy locked in bitter war with each other, the Prometheans launched revenge attacks on the Compact and Coalition. A small attack fleet was also sent to Earth to attack the Humans once more, but in the Battle of Venus, the Promethean fleet was decidedly defeated by a joint Human-Alliance fleet. The resurgence of the Prometheans led to fears in the Grand Alliance that the Firstborn would re-enter the war, but these fears did not materialize. The Promethean Empire was ultimately occupied by 1976 by Alliance forces and (annexed/DMZ/exiled/carved up). The Firstborn, although technically the Promethean's benefactor in the Pact of Stars, did not intervene due to losses suffered in the first part of the war and an unwillingness to go to war again. This is believed to be the main factor behind the Pact's decline and the Firstborn's fall from galactic eminence. However, the distraction, though a resounding victory for the Alliance, distracted them from the Compact, who in 1976 struck hard at Meredian and Dravimos space, in the battles of Klenasha and Modoq . The Alliance Sways By 1978, the war was fairing poorly for the Alliance and the Coalition. Mech forces arrived in Compact space daily in greater numbers than the day before. Although the Alliance could hold its own against the Compact planetside due to the massive numbers of Xeraji drones and Regen droids, the space battles were slowly being lost due to the sheer number of mech ships. Also, after the battle of Modoq, the Coalition was isolated from the Alliance. This only worsened when the Fostur Freedom Front (FFF), convinced that the Firstborn would not enter the war, joined the Compact. At this point the Alliance was considering a treaty to end the war. The Dravimos found this to be utterly unacceptable, stating that the Mechs must be eliminated to end the threat to life forever, while the Azaranians and Coalition feared that a treaty would be heavily biased against them. With the possibility of a peace treaty a fleeting dream, the Alliance steeled itself and vowed to fight on. Many battles were lost, and the Alliance thought the war might result in its destruction when a Mech scout ship was sighted near the Dresh homeworld. Regardless, the Mechs did not act on it, and the war resumed its normal pace. The Alliance Counterattack The year 1980 was a boon for the Alliance and Coalition. The Regens had discovered the main base of the FFF and in a pitched battle captured the entire installation, reducing the FFF to a mere pirate group no longer able to seize worlds on its own. Production of weapons, starships, and other supplies had reached an efficiency never before known, and innovativley factories were built deep underwater in Dresh and Maoimer worlds where Compact forces could not reach. Three new races now fought on the front lines with the Alliance. The Polarans were finally absorbed into the Dravimosian Empire in 1980 when the three fourths of the total population was captured by the Dravimosians and integrated back into their civilization. The Brudahka joined the Empire as scheduled later that year as well. In addition, the Prometheans were rehabilitated after their government was replaced and convinced that an Alliance defeat in the war would result in the extinction of the Prometheans, as the Centrians had driven two aggressive races to extinction before. In a series of attacks, a combined Rasheen-Ariax force managed to break through to the planet Morntruo, one of the most important Centrian planets, as Compact troops were engaged against Meredian and Dravimos troops off Nowob. Now the Compact was isolated too, with Centrian space split in half, until they managed to regain the planet. The next year was largely a stalemate, with both sides trying to reunite their respective components but failing to do so. Diplomatic attempts of the Alliance to enlist more nations such as Praedonia and the Mantelar Alliance were unsuccessful, despite the Manelar Alliance's desire to forge closer relations with the Alliance. Due to the demands of the war, the Alliance component of the Democrist-Eunumus DMZ withdrew, leading to more violence and only the Firstborn to monitor the situation. This led the DMZ administration to become a virtual protectorate of the Firstborn; a temporary upward spike in the Firstborn's recent gradual decline, much to the dismay of the Eunumus. A Dravimosian project called Project Judgment Day was created by 1981 in order to de-extinct sentient species that the Compact had eradicated in the past, such as the Aranjan, the "Evil Ones," and the "Phantoms," and use them to fight a brutal war of revenge. This project was criticized for its lack of military potential, high resources and lack of information to raise the new species, and the project was cancelled by 1983. It is unknown how successful the project was in reviving the previously extinct species. Shinatos Offensive Following several weeks of stagnated fighting on front worlds like Morntruo, the Alliance decided that such a slow war would end in disaster when larger amounts of Mech forces arrived in Compact space. As such, Alliance tacticians decided to launch an offensive that would force the majority of the Compact out of the war. The plan was drafted by King Admiral Axnynoras LIV Shinatos, high commander of the Dravimosian Armada and future Emperor of the Empire. With the Compact currently divided by the battle on Morntruo, the Alliance would spearhead separate attacks on Solarian, Gemini, and Centrian worlds in 1984. The offensive was remarkable successful, and Dravimosian, Azaranian and Regentech forces swept through the Solarian, Gemini, and Centrian defenses. Within days, the Solarian homeworld and the majority of its colonies had fallen and were occupied. The Gemini and Centrians held firm, and only lost a few worlds. These small gains were later reversed when the Mechs arrived in force six months later, although the majority of Solarian worlds remained occupied. The offensive saw the first use of the Brudahka in the war, which was a major physiological factor in the offensive. Compact troops, having never seen the Brudahka before, were unprepared for the sheer power and flexibility that they exuded. It would be some time before the Compact had become used to fighting the Brudahka and had adapted suitable countermeasures. The occupation of the Solarian Empire thoroughly enraged the Compact, who saw the Solarians as a wise and peaceful race who did not seek war, something that the Solarian government-in-exile actively supports. While the truth is different, the offensive solidified the image of the Dravimosian Empire as an aggressive hegemony in the minds of Compact forces. To the Dravimosians, it was simply the first step of annexing a new species and saving that species from extinction. The response was a massive revival of the Compact war effort, with hundreds of thousands of ships fighting system spanning battles in the region. After a year of fighting and millions and billions of casualties, the result was that while large parts of Solarian space had been regained - including their capital - the rest remained under Alliance control, mainly that of the Dravimos. The brutal and futile battles of Solarian space are what would later inspire Operation: Smite, which led to the bloodiest phase of the war. Mech Offensive and Salida The Mech offensive took place in 1986. Slightly misnamed - the Gemini and Centrians did play smaller parts in it, as well as the Solarians - it was nonetheless mostly made of Mech troops, especially focused on liberating Solarian territory. The battles of Movonosk and Salida were the first battles in the war, though, to incorporate heavy use of the Centriad's A-list weapons - including the Sigma Field, possibly the most destructive weapon in the Galaxy, and the Behemoth, one of the best ground troops in the Galaxy. The battle of Salida was the Mech offensive on a major trading world of the Dravimosian Empire, who to the Mechs had become the figurative head of the Alliance. Salida was a major staging ground for the Dravimosians as well, and was the key planet for all potential invasions into Centrian space. The battle of Salida is noticeable as the longest running battle of the war. Defenses in the system were high, and Alliance planners predicted that an attack on the planet would occur. Despite exhaustive preparations, the sheer number of Mech ships and ground troops were able to breach the defenses. After another ten hours of fighting, the Compact utilized Class Beta Sigma Fields, totally destroying the world and the supporting Alliance ships, in an act that shocked much of the galaxy. Meanwhile, after huge amounts of fighting, Regentech ships broke through Mech lines, and engaged a Mech worldship. Despite the arrival of aid in the form of the Fourth and Fifth Sigma, the Regentech fleet, determined to get vengence for the destruction of Salida, wiped out the Fourth Sigma and severely damaging the Fifth Sigma, before been pushed back by the Centrian Omega fleets. Promethean Civil War Third Battle of the Core Treaty of Something Aftermath